“This Valentine’s Day, Be Kiss-Ready,” says this ad for Nivea Lip Moisturizers. The image shows a woman at a window. On the other side of the window is her love, whose teenage-fuzz mustache makes him look all of 16-years-old.
Maybe this is another case of “hot for teacher.” Maybe she’s his mom. Maybe they should have considered their choice of models more carefully.
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Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, Nivea, print ads, print advertising
Back in December, I talked about Anheuser-Busch positioning their Michelob Ultra as a fitness beer.This ad for MGD 64 signals that the Miller Brewing Company has jumped on the same bandwagon.
The ad isn’t specifically for beer—it’s for a website called Resolution 64.com, which features:
This sounds great, but keep in mind that the reason the site exists is so that Miller can sell beer. Here’s the message that greets you at the site:
Why MGD 64?
We know you make smart decisions about your lifestyle. But we know you like to relax and enjoy a beer with friends. Now you can do both.
It seems to me that Miller is worried that health conscious people will stop drinking beer. Exercise, they say. Be fit. We’ll help you. But please, dear God, keep drinking beer.
While MGD 64 is lower in calories than regular beer, studies have shown that calories are not the only culprit that causes beer drinkers to gain weight. The following is from an article that appeared in The New York Times on April 9, 1992:
Swiss researchers report that when people drink alcohol, their bodies burn up fat much more slowly than usual. And any fat that is not burned is stored in the paunch, the thighs or other places where people put on weight.
The study suggests that it is not just the calories in alcohol that make it fattening but the way alcohol throws off the body’s normal disposal of fat in the diet.
They’re saying that the alcohol in beer is partly to blame for big fat beer guts. Other factors include the types of food that beer drinkers typically eat while they’re drinking and the fact that many beer drinkers have a sedentary lifestyle. If you’re a casual drinker, drinking a lite beer or two every now and then probably won’t contribute to weight gain—but neither will occasionally drinking a regular beer. If you only drink every once in a while, why not drink a high-quality beer with some taste, like Sam Adams, Anchor Steam, or just about any imported beer?
People who drink so much beer that they have to worry about gaining weight probably need to find a way to stop drinking, because it’s a sign they might have a drinking problem.
As an aside, the name of this product is Miller Genuine Draft 64. Putting aside the question of how bottled beer can be called genuine draft (by definition, draft beer comes in a keg), I wonder about the wisdom of referring to a product by initials that don’t call the product tomind. MGD 64 sounds like it could be a car, or a motor oil.
Posted in advertising, Commercials, Media
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, beer, copywriting, MGD 64, Miller Genuine Draft, print ads, print advertising
This ad for General Foods International French Vanilla Café is another example of the shift in advertising that addresses the hard economic times by focusing on value. The ad mentions calories and flavor, but the emphasis is on cost: only 20 cents a cup.
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Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, French Vanilla Café, General Foods International, print ads, print advertising
The Lean Cuisine brand was created as a line of low-fat frozen dinners targeted at people who are watching their weight. You’d expect that their ads would reinforce the weight-loss angle.
But this ad doesn’t mention low-fat or weight-loss even once. The closest they come is in the headline, where they say that it’s “good for you.” But “good for you” is vague and can mean many different things (or nothing at all).
Instead of going for the weight-loss angle, they’re adjusting their message as a result of changes in consumer spending patterns. The headline says, “good for your wallet.” The copy contains the phrase, “keeps you and your budget on track.”
Americans are cutting back on spending and Lean Cuisine is dropping the low-fat message in favor of a message that stresses value.
While writing yesterday’s post on Jell-o, I came across a transcript of a podcast by Tina Manikas from December, 2008. Tina has the lengthy title of EVP, Global Retail and Promotions Officer for Jell-o’s (Kraft’s) advertising agency, Draftfcb. Here’s an excerpt:
But (the bad economy) is really giving birth to new consumer behavior. Both consumers as consumers, and how they behave as shoppers. So what’s also interesting is that for the first time ever, they’re actually using more coupons than ever before. We’ve seen redemption rates fall over the years and the last year they’ve risen…
…Consumer behavior is really the key we need to look at to really maintain our brand value…
So what does this mean for marketers? You know it depends on the category. But really it’s about becoming truly relevant and staying relevant in these economic times. And let’s not be assumptive; we really have to hit it home like a sledgehammer with the consumers and not assume that they can come to that conclusion on their own.
The value proposition is the key. For instance, shoe repair sales are up this year as are fast food as I said before. So what are marketers doing? What can we learn?
I think what we can learn is how to best frame value. Messaging is really critical. Because consumers respond to messaging. Also where best to frame the value? Where is it best to go?
…So the trick is not to devalue your product, but to reinforce our value to shoppers. There are some messaging do’s that we need to really think through. First of all, we need to reframe brand value in a relevant way to shoppers. How is your brand relevant in these times? Is it the smart choice? Is it the affordable treat?
For instance, Jell-O saying that it’s only 25 cents a serving. You could still wiggle and giggle your way around. It is framed as a better choice from something more expensive. For instance, DiGiorono saying it’s the delivery pizza without the delivery cost. So the quality is there, so you’re not giving up on the quality but you’re doing it in a more affordable way.
In today’s marketplace, the new buzzword is value. Watch for it everywhere.
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Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, draftfcb, Jell-o, Kraft Foods, Lean Cuisine, Nestle, print ads, print advertising
When it comes to ads for JELL-O pudding, the creatives at DRAFTFCB can do no wrong.
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Truvia is a new sweetener that’s derived from the leaves of the stevia plant. The ad shows a strawberry with something that looks like sugar on it. It’s effective because it gets your attention.
Here’s the headline:
Our new sweetener is more than splendid, it’s natural.
Obviously, the use of the word splendid is a shot at Splenda, a competing no-calorie sweetener. They use the word again in the copy.
While natural products are usually preferable to synthetic ones, when we run into the word natural in an ad, a red flag should go up. We already know that many advertisers have problems telling the truth. And just because a product is natural doesn’t mean that it’s safe. Belladonna, castor beans, and poisonous mushrooms are examples of things that are natural—and toxic.
I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with Truvia—they’ve been using it in Japan for about 30 years with no ill-effects that we know of. After all, as the copy says, “it’s rooted in goodness and sunshine.” There can’t be anything wrong with that, right?
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Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, print ads, print advertising, Truvia
I like the idea in this ad for Mentos Gum. It’s a well-done ad that might have been implemented a little better. I don’t know why they chose a distressed-looking typeface for the headline—I don’t understand how that relates to the product. But given that they’ve managed to get the message across without using copy, I can give that a pass.
The photo setup doesn’t quite do it for me. Maybe the elements should have been arranged differently. Maybe there should have been more fruit. Maybe I’m being too critical.
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Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, Mentos Gum, print ads, print advertising
